Carl Zeiss Vision International will close its prescription lenses laboratory in Adelaide by the end of this year and reduce its Lonsdale workforce by 75 jobs over the coming months. At approximately the same time, a new spectacle lens fitting laboratory will be established near the current facility at Lonsdale, employing upwards of 25 staff.
Lenses will be supplied to Australian and New Zealand customers from Zeiss’ global production network.
Managing Director of Zeiss Australia and New Zealand, Joe Redner, said the company had to ensure sustainability at a time of increasing price and other pressures in the global eyeglass lens sector. “While the loss of jobs is deeply regretted, it is clear that our prescription lens laboratory cannot be profitable in the long-term. This restructure will allow us to sustainably compete in this very dynamic market. It’s a development which is unfortunately not uncommon in the optical industry these days,” he said.
The company informed its corporate workforce and unions about the redundancies in early October. “We will now step into a thorough and genuine consultation process with the affected colleagues,” Mr Redner said. “We will ensure that our obligations for benefits and entitlements are fulfilled, and we will work hard to support our staff at this difficult time. We do not anticipate any impacts for our customers.”